Safety and alarm attachment for tanks.



(No Model.)

YH: Nonms PETERS co, Puorouwn., wAsNmomn,

rrn rnrns HENRY B. FROMBERGER, OF DAYTONA, FLORIDA, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HALF TO VIVIAN PHILLIPS AND WILLIAM L. SMITH, OF BALTIMORE, MARY- LAND.

SAFETY `AND ALARM ATTACHMENT FOR TANKS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 643,117, dated February 13, 1900.

Application filed MayS, 1899. Serial No. 715,434. (No model.)

To @ZZ whom, t may concern:

Be it known that I, HENRY B. FROMBERGER, a citizen of the United States, residing at Daytona, in the county of Volusia and State of Florida, have invented new and useful Improvements in Safety and Alarm Attachments for Marine Gasolene and Acetylene Tanks, of which the following isa specification.

It is the object of my invention to provide Io a simple and reliable safety and alarm attachment for marine gasolene and acetylene tanks and other receptacles in which a dangerous or excessive pressure is liable to be accumulated, as in reservoirs for acetylene gas and in tanks for holding gasolene and various volatile liquids.

The invention consists in the combination, with a tank for holding a gas or volatile liquid, of a safety-valve and alarm communi- 2o eating with said tank to automatically relieve excessive pressure therein and simultaneously give an alarm, so that an attendant will be warned in season to make further provision for avoiding an explosion, as by opening an auxiliary relief-valve.

In the annexed drawings, illustrating the invention, Figure 1 is a View of my improved safety and alarm attachment applied to a tank for gasolene, naphtha, or other volatile 3o material. Fig. 2is an enlarged sectional view ofthe safety and alarm attachment.

The reference-numeral l designates a tanksuch, for instance, as commonly employed in connection with gas-engines on launches and yachts or elsewhere for holding the gasolene or naphtha that is to be used in operating the engine. This tank is shown as being provided with a pipe 2, through which the volatile liquid is fed to an atomizer at the engine.

4o (Not shown.) Ordinarily a pressure of gas will accumulate in the tank 1 above the volatile liquid therein, and within safe limits this pressure is useful in assisting the feed of liquid to the atomizer. It sometimes happens,

however, that a dangerous pressure will accumulate in the tank, and tank explosions are frequently due to this cause. Also a back pressure may sometimes take place through the atomizer feed-pipe 2, and thus induce an 5o explosion of the tank.

4, as shown in Fig. 2.

To remove the danger of explosion from an excessive accumulation of pressure in a tank and to give a warning of danger before the pressure exceeds a safe limit I connect with the tank the novel combined safety-valve and 5 5 alarm, hereinafter described and claimed, which will instantly and automatically relieve the pressure in the tank as soon as it gets above a predetermined amount and in which the escaping pressure will sound a whistle to attract the attention of an attendant, who may then open an auxiliary relief-valve for effecting a more rapid reduction of the tankpressure.

As shown, there is a pipe 3 communicating 65 with an upper part of Vthe tank. To the outer end of this pipe 3 there is attached a T-coupling 4, Figs. land 2. A valve-casing 5 is attached to or screwed into the coupling In the casing 5 there is arranged a downwardly-seating valve G, which may have vertical guide-arms 7, by which the valve is centered or guided in the central opening of a spider or guide frame 8 placed in the valve-casing. A spring 9, Fig. 2, is provided to hold the valve 6 normally seated. One end of this spring 9 bears on the valve 6 within its arms 7 and the other end of said spring is pressed against by a Winged bearing 10, formed within a cap 11, that is screwed onto the valve-casing. By screwing down this cap 11 the pressure exerted by the spring 9 on the valve 6 can be increased at pleasure, or by partially unscrewing said cap 1l the pressure of the 85 spring against the valve can be diminished, as desired. Thus the spring 9 can be readily adjusted to hold the valve 6 seated lagainst any predetermined degree of pressure within the tank, and consequently there can be always maintained in the tank a safe pressure sufficient for assisting the feed of liquid from the tank, but without exposing the tank to any danger of explosion. The cap 11 is provided in its top with apertures 12 for escape 9 5 of pressure when the valve 6 is lifted. A whistle 13 is mounted on said cap 11 above its apertures 12 by means of a stem 14, that may form part of the cap. Y

It will be obvious that should the pressure loo in the tank 1 exceed a predetermined safe amount the Valve 6 will be automatically lifted, thereby relieving the excessive pressure to some extent, at the same time causing the Whistle 13 to sound, so that an attendant will receive a proper warning, whereupon he may open an auxiliary relief-valve 15, located in an escape-pipe 16 connected with the coupling 4E, and thus rapidly reduce the pressure in the tank, so that there can be no explosion.

While especially designed for use on gasolene-tanks for marine gas-engines, such as employed in launches and small boats, it will be obvious that this combined safety and alarm attachment may be also used to advantage elsewhere for preventing the explosion of tanks in which various volatile materials are contained. i

l/Vhat I claim as my invention is- The herein-described safety and alarm attachment for tanks designed to contain Volatile material, consisting of a coupling to be connected with said tank, a valve casing mounted on said coupling, a downwardlyseating valve in said casing, a spring to normally seat said Valvein a direction toward the tank, a cap adjustably screwed onto the valve-casing and provided internally with a bearing for one end of the valve-spring and having apertures in the cap-top, a Whistle surmounting the cap above the apertures therein, and an auxiliary relief-Valve connected With said coupling, substantially as ldescribed In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand in presence of two subscribing Witnesses.

HENRY B. FROMBERGER. Witnesses:

R. W. PHILLIPS, WV. L. SMITH. 

